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Fudgy and chocolatey, these cherry brownies are packed with maraschino cherries and dark chocolate--whip them up in minutes! Perfect served with a big dollop of whipped cream and a cherry on top, of course!
This post has been sponsored by Mezzetta. All opinions are my own. Thanks so much for supporting brands that I love!
If you are a maraschino cherry lover like I am, then I have no doubt that you are a Mezzetta Maraschino cherry lover as well!
There isn't a sweet, red cherry around like it. And maraschino cherries make these Fudgy Cherry Brownies a hit. Think Black Forest Cake meets a brownie. Black Forest Brownies, anyone?
If you are a big brownie fan, this S'mores Skillet Brownie or these Kahlua Cream Cheese Brownies need to be on your list as well!
Why You Will Love These Dark Chocolate Cherry Brownies:
- They are so rich and sweet. The rich dark chocolate and the sweet maraschino cherries balance each other so well.
- Super simple to whip up. Just a matter of stirring everything together and then baking. Brownies are the perfect chocolate treat that require minimal effort.
- Fudgy, chewy and dense. If you are a fan of dense, rich fudgy brownies, these are it. Skipping the leavening agents in these makes them less cake like that you often get from brownies with baking soda or powder.
- A great way to up your brownie game! Skip the same old brownies. These chocolate cherry brownies are irresistible and unlike any brownie you have ever tried!
What you will need:
- butter: unsalted is preferred
- sugar: regular granulated
- eggs: large eggs at room temperature for best results in these dark chocolate cherry brownies
- vanilla: extract instead of the fake stuff if possible.
- dark chocolate: you could use chocolate chips. The look of roughly chopped chocolate just gets me. It looks so gorgeous baked on top of the brownies. Use a really good dark chocolate for these brownies for the richest flavor.
- flour: all purpose flour is ideal. You can sub a 1:1 baking gluten free all purpose flour as well
- sea salt: regular salt is fine as well
- cocoa powder: unsweetened. You can use a dark cocoa powder but I prefer regular cocoa
- cherries: the star of the show: maraschino cherries. You can also use regular frozen cherries that have been thawed if the maraschino cherries are too sweet for you
How to make these Cherry Brownies:
- Whisk the melted butter and sugar together to fully incorporate. (step 1)
- Add in the eggs and vanilla and whisk well--you can whisk this part for about a minute or so. (step 2)
- Melt ¾ cup of the chopped dark chocolate chips. Whisk the chocolate into the butter and egg mixture. Fully incorporate the chocolate. (step 3)
- Add the flour, cocoa powder and sea salt. Stir it in just to fully combine. Don't over stir past this point. (steps 4 and 5)
- Add in the cherries and the rest of the chopped chocolate and gently fold in. (you can save a bit of the chocolate for on top as well, or feel free to add even more! Never too much chocolate in brownies, right?!) (steps 6 and 7)
- Pour the cherry brownie batter into a well greased baking pan (I use butter). Bake them up and then try your best to wait to until they are cooled enough to dive into! (steps 8 and 9)
How to Serve These Chocolate Cherry Brownies:
First and foremost, eating these cherry brownies straight from the pan is 100% perfection. However, if you want to really make them feel like Black Forest Brownies, add a big dollop of whipped cream, an extra cherry and some chocolate shavings. And what about chocolate whipped cream??
A warm brownie sundae with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, hot fudge, whipped cream and of course the cherry on top!
I also a chocolate cherry brownie trifle in my future as well. Can you even imagine? Amazing!
Recipe Notes:
- You can microwave the chocolate to melt it, but if you prefer skipping the microwave, you can use a double boiler method and melt it stove top.
- I use an 8x8inch pan for these cherry brownies, but if you only have a 9x9 inch baking pan, you will want to keep an eye and not over bake these. I would pull them out at 25 minutes!
- Baking in a metal pan versus a glass pan will vary the baking time as well. I suggest a metal pan--that is what I used. If you use a glass pan, you may need to bake the brownies longer by about 5 minutes.
Storing your Brownies:
At room temperature, these maraschino cherry brownies will store if covered in an air tight container for up to 4 days. If you refrigerate them, you will likely get 6-7 days out of them.
These cherry brownies actually freeze quite well. Allow them to cool completely and place each cut brownie in plastic wrap and then a layer or foil for best results. Freeze them for up to 3 months and then thaw in the fridge or at room temperature when you have a craving!
Other Optional Add Ins:
Lots of fun ways to make these chocolate cherry brownies even more delish. Feel free to add in the following:
- walnuts or pecans
- white chocolate chips
- espresso powder for even richer chocolate flavor
- mini marshmallows
- crushed Oreos
- add a drizzle of melted chocolate over top
- frost your brownies with cherry buttercream
Other Treats You Will Love:
- Avocado Fudge Brownies
- Dulce De Leche Cheesecake Brownies
- Gluten Free Blondies
- Chocolate Cake Mix Cookies
- Small Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies
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Dark Chocolate Cherry Brownies
Ingredients
- ½ c plus 3 T unsalted butter, melted
- 1 c sugar
- ¾ c flour
- 2 eggs, large
- ⅓ c cocoa powder
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 ¼ c dark chocolate, chopped
- 1 ¼ c maraschino cherries, stems removed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Whisk the melted butter and sugar together to fully incorporate. Add in the eggs and vanilla and whisk well. Melt ¾ cup of the chopped dark chocolate or chocolate chips by microwaving in 20 second increments and stirring well in between. Whisk the chocolate into the butter and egg mixture. Fully incorporate the chocolate.
- Add the flour, cocoa powder and sea salt and stir to combine. Don't over stir past this point. Add in the cherries (feel free to add them whole or chopped) and the rest of the chopped chocolate and gently fold in.
- Pour the batter into a well greased 8x8 inch baking pan (I use butter). Bake for about 25-28 minutes for super fudgy brownies, or until the center is just set to touch. For firmer brownies, bake for closer to 30-35 minutes. Brownies will continue to cook a bit after removed from the oven.
- Allow to cool before cutting. I love serving mine with a big dollop of whipped cream, shaved chocolate and an extra cherry on top!
Notes
- You can microwave the chocolate to melt it, but if you prefer skipping the microwave, you can use a double boiler method and melt it stove top.
- I use an 8x8inch pan for these cherry brownies, but if you only have a 9x9 inch baking pan, you will want to keep an eye and not over bake these. I would pull them out at 25 minutes!
- Baking in a metal pan versus a glass pan will vary the baking time as well. I suggest a metal pan--that is what I used. If you use a glass pan, you may need to bake the brownies longer by about 5 minutes.
Nutrition
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Joy says
Chef's kiss 😘
Lorie says
Love hearing this!
Angela Phillips says
I am looking for just this kind of chocolate cherry combination , but you don't say how large of a baking pan to use. Can you please tell me? Thank you.
Lorie says
Hi! I use an 8 inch square pan. You can use a 9 inch but it will take a bit less time to cook.